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13 Incredible Pictures from the Washington State Landslide

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SEATTLE (TheBlaze/AP) — Geologists and engineers are assessing the stability of a scenic Puget Sound area after a large landside thundered down a hillside, knocking one house off its foundation and threatening others.

That heavily damaged home and 33 others were ordered evacuated after the slide broke loose early Wednesday in the Ledgewood community on Whidbey Island, about 50 miles north of Seattle.

No one was injured.

After geologists took an initial look, residents of about 15 homes higher up the hillside were told Wednesday evening that they could return, said Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue Chief Ed Hartin. Seventeen homes were evacuated along that road and officials were still concerned about two, Hartin said.

Eleven people from 16 homes along a road close to the water were evacuated by boat because the road was blocked by the landslide, Hartin said.

“The west side of the island … is prone to slides because of soil conditions and water movement in the ground,” Hartin said.

“We have no specific cause as to `why here, why now, why this big.’ ”

The slide area extends about 400 to 500 yards across the hillside and down 600 or 700 yards to the water, Hartin said.